'The Bachelor' Chris Soules interview: Whitney Bischoff will compensate for what I lack in my family business

The Bachelor star Chris Soules selected Whitney Bischoff as his final bachelorette and proposed to her during Monday night's finale of the ABC reality dating show's nineteenth season.
 
Chris, a 33-year-old farmer from Arlington, IA, chose Whitney, a 29-year-old fertility nurse from Chicago, IL, at the end of his very difficult journey on the show.

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Chris was serious about finding a wife from the start, and when runner-up Becca Tilley, a 25-year-old chiropractic assistant from San Diego, CA, continued to voice hesitation about potentially raising a family and moving to Arlington, Chris decided Whitney was the better choice for him.

During a Tuesday conference call with reporters, Chris and Whitney talked about their experience on the show and engagement. Below is the concluding portion of their interview. Click here and here to read more.

Whitney, people are saying you were the safe choice but it was your idea to crash a wedding with Chris and you played a lot of jokes on him. So, Chris, how will you tame her wild side -- or will you?

Chris Soules: I'm going to roll with her wild side. The more wild, the better.


Chris, your family seemed to really love Whitney and were set on her being the one for you. Did their excitement about her have any influence on your decision?

Chris Soules: You know, I think I made the decision based on what was in my heart and in my gut. But my parents' and my family's opinion is extremely important to me, and so yeah, I put a lot of emphasis on what they had to say. Because they know me very well and they know what I'm looking for.

At that point in the process, I was in a tough mental state. Going through that is really hard emotionally, mentally, physically, you name it. So, it was something I took into serious consideration as to what their views were and opinions. But when push came to shove, it was my choice and a choice I feel really good about.

I know it's early and you're still talking about moving and how to get comfortable in the real world, but have you talked at all about when to get married, where you'll get married and whether or not you'd be open to filming it?

Chris Soules: We haven't talked a lot about that. The filming part is something that, I have no idea, you know? It's not even -- nobody's asked us to do that and we haven't decided when we're going to get married.


So there's still a lot of things we have to think about. I mean, there's a lot of things to consider. Obviously we just spent our two months on a reality TV show, falling in love together, so I don't think our No. 1 goal is to be on TV right now. But who knows, I guess. We're pretty open-minded and we'll see what happens.

Chris, did your family ever say flat out they liked Whitney better or they think Whitney's better for you? They certainly implied or suggested that.

Chris Soules: I mean, I think I totally got, you know, what they were saying there. Because after Whitney left, for them, it was like, "Wow! This girl is perfect. There can't be anyone better." It was just so clear to them. But I knew that once they met Becca, they would see why I was struggling as well.

So, they were never that forward as to say, "She's the only one for you," because they're open minded and they want what's best for me. But, I mean, there was no doubt in my mind that after they met Whitney and I saw their interactions, that was going to be a tough, tough act to follow.

So, they had to be open minded. I remember feeling that, knowing that it's going to be a tough stage for Becca to walk into because of the connection they had. That's something you just can't recreate, and with some things, there's just that instant chemistry. That's something my sisters and family had with Whitney. It was impressive.


Whitney, could you talk about what your casting was like? And do either of you have any advice for future stars or contestants of the show?

Whitney Bischoff: I think if you're considering going on the show, I think it's important to be realistic with your expectations and be realistic with yourself in terms of why you're going on it. It did push me to limits I didn't know I could be pushed to -- physically, emotionally, it's exhausting. But if you keep grounded and you keep reminding yourself of why you're there, that's what helped me get through to the end.

Chris, considering Whitney is driven and smart, do you think she'd fare well working on your farm? What do you think she'd be good at? And Whitney, have you thought about any of that or looked into the day-to-day ongoings and what you could be a part of?

Chris Soules: Well, I personally, you know, there's a lot of opportunities in our business because it's very much kind of a relationship business. In addition to being in production of agriculture, we work with a lot of different people whether it's renting farm land or things like that.

And I think that Whitney's never been a stranger, and that's the type of person I am as well. And having someone like her as part of the operation and helping build operations with people we work with, it's something that I can see her being very, very helpful with.


And she's organized and detail-oriented, which is important in any business, and I am not! So that's something where she can kind of compensate for my lack of organization and detail-orientedness -- if that's even a word.

Whitney Bischoff: I think I'm going to wait and feel it out. I did talk with his mom. I was at his hometown and we talked about what part she plays in the business. She was telling me all this stuff she can teach me, and so, I'm ready. I'm definitely ready to get there and help where I can. But I don't know that we'll know what that means until we actually get there.

Do you each have a favorite date from this season?

Whitney Bischoff: Oh man. I can't choose one favorite; I think I have two. The wedding crashing and then the mural date.

Chris Soules: Yeah, I would have to agree. The wedding crashing was probably one of the most unique dates I've ever even seen on a show like that. It was kind of a cool opportunity for us to just be ourselves, and that's when I really found that Whitney was someone who I could definitely see myself with.


But I think the coolest thing was for her to be able to meet a couple of my best friends in Des Moines. That was probably one of my favorite parts. It impressed the hell out of me when she was kind of thrown to the wolves so to speak and grilled by some of my buddies.

Are there any moments between you two that viewers didn't see and you wish they could have?

Chris Soules: One of the things on one of the dates that was kind of comical and life-threatening was when we were in Bali. We were out on the boat and what the audience didn't really get to see is that the waves were really, really high that day.

It was windy and we actually never found the final location of where we were supposed to go, so we just rode around on the boat all day. We were getting rocked around by these huge waves. And then of course they wanted us to jump off into the water to get your classic Bachelor water scene visual, and we had to swim back to the end of the boat.

We did it twice and the second time, I was holding onto the ladder with one arm and trying to help Whitney up, and a wave hit and catapulted the end of the boat out of the water like six to eight feet. I thought my arm was going to be torn off by the boat. Luckily, that didn't happen.

Whitney Bischoff: That would've been the most "dramatic" date. (Laughs)


Chris Soules: Yes, the most dramatic date ever. But thankfully my arm is still intact and we're alive.

What advice, Chris, would you give to Kaitlyn Bristowe and Britt Nilsson going into The Bachelorette?

Chris Soules: I guess, I think first of all, they've got a much different situation from what I went into. So I have no idea how to even give anybody advice on being with another person or the spot as the Bachelorette.

But I think whoever does become the final Bachelorette, I guess it's important they know what they're looking for and that they are truly looking to do this for the purpose of finding your soul mate and a person to marry and knowing in your heart you're ready for that.

I think if either one of them -- if they're truly there [for the right reasons] -- then your heart will lead you in the right direction and you'll handle it with the type of respect that the people who are there to find love deserve.

Click here and here to read more from Whitney and Chris' interview.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski